DAY

January 30, 2026

  • January 30, 2026

Packing sincerity into a box: Behind the scenes of shipping "Sunflower Rice," a gift in return for Hokuryu Town's hometown tax donation program

On Friday, January 30, 2026, in the winter in Hokuryu Town, the farm produce store "Minorich Hokuryu" was closed for the winter, but the shop was bustling with activity as it shipped out gifts in return for hometown tax donations. The store was packed with products carefully handcrafted by farmers, including "Sunflower Rice," which won the Japan Agriculture Award Grand Prize.